Tuesday, September 30, 2014

I, Cinnamon, am very well behaved. Sometimes, when I am doing travel writing, I get to do things that I don't do at home. So when I went to the beach, I had a whole room to myself and look what I did! OMG. Don't tell anyone!

Monday, September 29, 2014

You all know we've been looking high and low for the right house at the right price. We've looked downtown and we've looked out in the suburbs. I can't figure out why we don't have a new house yet. Some of them have met my criteria.

All I want is:

Proximity to squirrel trees

Deck or patio to relax on

Yard to play in

Room for my cushy big bed

A few assorted sunbeams to lie in

So why don't we have a new house? Here's one she saw yesterday. Looks great from my perspective!

Here's a yard with sun and shade. It even had 2 decks!

The worst part of this is that the house-hunting takes time away from going to the dog park! Grrrrr.

Saturday, September 27, 2014

Here's the sample food I received and the literature. I'm standing there waiting for my owner to open it!

I'm excited. I got a big box in the mail and it was full of Canine PowerFood™, a very healthy kibble food. I was excited to get to try this food even before it is on the market. You know me, I like to be healthy and I LIKE TO EAT. So this was a very welcome package.

I've been transitioning to Canine PowerFood™ and next week I'll tell you all about it. But for now, I need to go have BRUNCH!

Thursday, September 25, 2014

I won't bore you with the details about why we are not moving into Rose Cottage. It had to do with "iffy" documentation on neighborhood rules and who is responsible for paving the private street. (Hey, it wouldn't be me, Cinnamon!)

Ready for more house hunting

So we are back to looking for houses. Today we drove all around town. I really got excited. (More than excited) when we drove up and down the downtown streets. There were SQUIRRELS all over the place... on the sidewalks, in the streets and in the trees.

I was pleased when we headed down Hwy 4 toward THE BEACH! Once we got to Hwy 101 I was really excited. I LOVE THE LONG BEACH PENINSULA! There are sand dunes, board walks, the Discovery Trail and miles of BEACH! We were out to explore and to stay at yet another dog-friendly abode.

Oceanfront means right on THE BEACH!

We turned in to the Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort. I got even more excited. There was lots of open space, big condos, and even a pool and a tennis court. I thought my friends might like that but I really don't want to go swimming, at least not on this trip. And I don't think chasing balls on the tennis court would be my cup of tea either.

We had an amazing three bedroom condo right on the beach, It was two levels and had a full kitchen! Since there were two people, I GOT MY OWN BEDROOM! I thought having my own room made it well worth the $15 pet charge per night. I never am messy, but I suppose other dogs are.

Here's the full kitchen at the condo. You can see my bowls set out for me.

I quickly found out that there was something very special about this condo. There was a deck overlooking the sand dunes and ocean. I could go out on the deck all by myself and look for Elk in the grassy dunes below. I saw elk when I was hiking in Long Beach last time I was there so I kept my eyes pealed looking for them.

Here I am looking for elk.

Every day we went walking the path through the grassy sand dunes to the beach. I love the beach and like to play "chicken" with the incoming tide. I ALWAYS WIN! One day we went down to the beach and it was pretty windy. My ears flapped in the wind and I got sand on my nose. I had fun anyway!

Here I am bracing against the wind on the beach.

What I liked best about the Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort is that the condos were HUGE, I could run up and down the stairs. I also liked that there were hardly any people on the beach there. Most of the time we walked all alone accompanied only by the sea gulls.

At night, before I went to sleep in MY ROOM, I dozed by the gas fireplace in the living room. It was a very cozy feeling. The night there was thunder and lightning, I only got a little scared because there were plenty of places to hide at the condo.

Here's our condo and the trail to the beach.
See the nice 2nd floor deck?

I highly recommend the Lighthouse Oceanfront Resort as VERY DOG FRIENDLY. They do have a pet charge and they do have rules, but that's because it is such a nice clean place. Oh yes, people like it there too. It is relaxing for all of us.

Monday, September 22, 2014

The last time I blogged, we were house-hunting ala HGTV. There was House #1, House #2 and House #3. It turns out none of those would work out.

So what did we do? We looked at HOUSE NUMBER 4! And, #4 is the big winner.

Here it is.... Rose Cottage!

It is right down the street from Ross Dog Park. I love Ross (well,
next to the Brush Prairie park with the Mt. Hood view). Yesterday we
went to Ross Dog Park and it was like old home week. I ran in, ran up
the hill and greeted each and every dog and owner.

Here's me running at Ross Dog Park (I am the one in front, of course!)

I
noticed something about Ross Dog Park. There were new gates and new bark
chips on the paths. It was really spiffed up. I hadn't been there for
awhile so there was lots of sniffing to do. But know what? My squirrel
trees were still there. I've missed them.

I had a great time and didn't want to come home. But finally I gave in and what did we do? We drove by MY NEW HOUSE. If everything works out ok, I'll be moving in to House #4 which we call Rose Cottage.

Let me tell you the pros and cons of House #4.

PROIt is right down the street from Ross Dog Park. It is right up the street from the Burnt Bridge Creek TrailThere are big trees across the streetThere is plenty of room in the kitchen cabinets for treats.There is a big covered porch and deck for me to relax on.

CONSI don't get my own room. I'll still share the officeThe yard is small.

I'm kinda excited because I might get to go to the dog park more often. There isn't anyone on my street now that I will miss. All we have are pesky cats and coyotes!

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Some day I am going to write an article about all the places that give out treats. But today, I was really surprised. We went to Dick Hannah Honda here in Vancouver, WA for a service appointment for my car.

We drove up and immediately a young woman came out to greet us. Of course she noticed me and said how cute I am. But then she said. "We have treats!" Right then and there my ears perked up. I was so surprised. TREATS AT AN AUTO PLACE? Now this is really good!

So she went in and got me a little square treat. I gobbled it down excitedly. And then another woman came up to see me. She petted me but didn't give me another treat. Drat!

And then the service adviser came up. He was all business and didn't give me a treat or a pat.

So I am making a mental note to add Dick Hannah Honda to my list of "places that give out treats." We walked home after we dropped the car off so all in all it was a very good morning!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Well, I made my owner promise we wouldn't move last year and we didn't. I had a hard time moving from my birthplace in Santa Fe, NM to Vancouver, WA. I had to adjust to rain and had to realize not too many people spoke Spanish. I did adjust to my new home... after awhile.

So now we are house-hunting BUT WE WON'T LEAVE VANCOUVER! I've been participating in the ride-byes and sometimes we do a neighborhood walk. So I am getting the hang of house hunting and have very definite opinions on the homes we look at. Here's an example:

House Number 1 (if you watch HGTV, you'll know where I'm going with this)

I call this the garden house

This house has a small fenced garden area and a huge vegetable garden on the side and a nice lawn in the front. It has plenty of room for MY BED in the family room. It does not have a garage, because that is where the family room is. So we'd have to get out of the car in the rain and snow. I'm not sure I like that.

But here's the big PLUS on this one. House #1 is just around the corner from a big park with BIG trees. And you know what lives in trees, don't you? SQUIRRELS! I walked this neighborhood and chased a bunch of squirrels up trees and even saw a rabbit. So far, I like House #1!

House Number 2
Now I haven't seen this house yet but it looks like it has a really big yard. I like that.

Big yard but a big hilly driveway

I hear the yard has trees in it so that is promising. There might be some squirrels there. It also looks big enough that I might get my own room!

House Number 3
I haven't seen this one yet either but it is even closer to the park than House Number 1! Yay! It looks like it has a shady back yard and enough room that I might get my own room.

This is the shady house close to Squirrel Park!

I don't know about these houses. I haven't been allowed to tour them yet. I do like the idea of being close to a park and I do like the idea of TREES IN MY YARD!

Now for my downtown friends, let me tell you ... WE ARE looking there but the houses seem to be either weird (too weird) or close to the freeway. So no luck there yet!

So, I'll keep y'all updated on what happens. Will we move? Or will we stay put? I just don't know. But I do know that I am getting less dog park time due to all this looking at houses.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Well, it was time for my bordetella booster and I needed some flea and tick prevention medicine so that meant a trip to the vet clinic. Usually I go to one close to home. It's a nice enough clinic, but it is always crowded and I have to wait a long time. And, its confusing. I never know which vet I will see or if I will even see the vet. So I decided I wanted to try a new veterinarian, someone like my nice vet in Santa Fe.

On recommendation from my friend Monica (I don't know what she knows, though, as she has cats, not dogs), we decided to try Dr. Kepner at Riverview Animal Hospital. I walked in, like I usually do, and looked up at the counter. NO TREAT JAR! I almost turned around and walked out!

This is the Riverview logo. I like the idea of fishing!

But I asked very nicely and the ladies at the desk went and got me some treats. YAY! It was quieter at this clinic and soon we were taken to an exam room. I knew there were other dogs there. I could see them through the glass.

We waited there for awhile (they didn't have any dog magazines for me to read) and then Dr. Kepner walked in. He petted me and asked all about me. Then he LIFTED ME AND PUT ME ON THE TABLE! Wow, I think he was strong. He gave me a VERY thorough exam which I put up with only because I wanted my flea and tick medicine. He looked at my teeth (every tooth I think), looked in my ears and at my eyes. He said I had some signs of aging in my eyes. (I didn't like hearing that!)

And he checked my kidneys and everything else he could find. I put my tail between my legs and gritted my teeth.

He said I was getting older but wasn't really OLD!. He recommended something for my joints, something called Cosequin® to help prevent problems. I always thought that was for OLD dogs and I don't think I am OLD at all even though I was very quiet at the vet's office.

So I got the flea and tick prevention stuff taken care of, got my bordetella booster and will get some of that joint supplement. And, I won't have to go back to the vet's for six more months!

I think I like the new vet clinic. Dr. Kepner was really good at explaining everything and examining me but I DON'T LIKE BEING PICKED UP!

And, I highly recommend the nice ladies at the front desk get a big treat jar so I can see it when I walk in!

Thursday, September 11, 2014

You all remember my Country Cousins, right? I told you about Indy, the smiling dog. Indy was always friendly but she had some annoying traits. She was "ball crazy" and would go crazy if the balls were brought out. And, she would steal my ball, given half a chance. But her most annoying trait was that she was always in my face. She just didn't respect my personal space. Imagine!

So I thought I'd get a rest from all that when I FINALLY got home. Sometimes I just like to sniff and explore without someone bugging me!

So here's what happened yesterday.
It was a glorious day at the dog park. It was cool and slightly misty. Fall was in the air. There were two little dogs in the small dog section. One of them snarled at me through the fence... But it was only through the fence.

I ambled along sniffing, eating grass and running when I felt like it. I was ALONE! I was free!
Life was good for about 20 minutes. I love my dog park in Brush Prairie!

Then the atmosphere changed at the dog park. Clink, went the gates. And in came a pretty, young German Shepherd. She was full of herself. She really thought she was cool. I could tell by the way she trotted and perked up her ears. (She had big ears).

I love exploring ALONE!

I gritted my teeth and considered going home.
The first thing she did was go up to that grumbly little dog at the small dog park fence. All of a sudden, they took off running... up and back along the fence. They both enjoyed this little game so I thought I was safe.

I decided to stay at the dog park and trotted along, sniffing and looking for rabbit holes (no luck).
All of a sudden the German shepherd and her owner caught up with us. I greeted her owner who was very nice and petted me. He said his dog was named Ruby and was four years old.

He started to tell me more but up trotted Ruby. I froze. She was big. She froze. We played "whoever moves first gets chased." Well I moved because I was getting bored standing there NOT BECAUSE I WANTED TO BE CHASED. And she started after me. I didn't like that one bit. I snarled at her and told her I was NOT interested in playing with the likes of her.

She backed off a bit and I went on my way.... and she followed! OMG, I just couldn't ditch her. She thought we were friends! I stopped to look at a mole hole and she came over. I snapped at her and SHE LAUGHED!

There will be NO RUBY today!
I went back to bed!

We kept walking along and she kept trying to get me to play. I even went up to her owner, pleading with my big brown hound eyes, for him to TAKE HER HOME! He said she was spoiled by his wife and didn't know how to leave other dogs alone.

I just wanted to enjoy the park without her big black nose getting into my business. But that wasn't in the cards.

Soon we went home for breakfast. I got to eat it in peace... ALONE!

I went back to bed this morning. I decided to skip the dog park AND SKIP RUBY!

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

I didn't realize this but there is an annual Salmon Toss in Oregon right about now and the salmon are DEAD! So please read this article. Apparently it is good for the streams to toss salmon carcasses into certain rivers. But it IS NOT GOOD FOR US DOGS!

Lurking in the dead salmon can be a parasitic flatworm Nanophyetus salmincola. And on the worm is a bacteria, Neorickettsia helmint, that can cause sickness or even death if untreated in dogs that have eaten infected salmon.

I'd keep away from the rivers where they are tossing salmon if I were you! More Information.

Thursday, September 4, 2014

My owner used to
live in Arizona. I never wanted to go there (too many coyotes) but this caught
my eye. They LOVE dogs at the Desert Botanical Garden and have a special event for them.

The Desert Botanical Garden recently announced another Dogs’
Day in the Garden.

The Garden has gone to the dogs! Take advantage of this
special opportunity to bring the whole family, dogs included, to the Garden.
Spend time in the “doghouse” with vendors sampling the best dog food and
treats. Sit and listen to special presentation ranging from health dogs treats
to keeping dogs safe in the desert environment. Go for a walk on Garden trails,
heel for family photo opportunities, and participate in craft activities for
both children and dogs. Don’t miss this tail-wagging good time!

All dogs must be on a leash and remain on marked trails
at all times. All dogs must be up-to-date on all vaccinations and
registrations. Handlers are required to pick up after their dogs and properly
dispose of their waste. Desert Botanical Garden reserves the right to refuse
entry to or remove any dog thought to be dangerous to other dogs or visitors.
Dogs will only be admitted to the Garden between the hours of 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Programming is subject to change.

Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Today was sort of boring. I had to stay inside a lot. It rained a couple of times and then, just as I was stretching out on the concrete outside to take a sun bath, the leaves started rustling. The wind came up... more than I have ever seen it blow here. It was kind of scary, actually.

So I held my ground in my little spot of sun until some ominous big black clouds shut out all the sun beams. It started raining... hard! I headed inside watching the storm from the back door. All of a sudden the sun came out but then it started raining even harder. What is going on, I wondered.

Eventually I went back outside. There were leaves and small branches everywhere but the storm seemed to have passed.

I really wanted to get out and find a beach to walk on so we did! We headed north to Point No Point Lighthouse because they have a nice beach there.

It rained off and on as we drove. When we got there it wasn't raining but the clouds wouldn't let the sun come out. We went exploring and walked up and down the beach. My ears flapped in the wind. I sniffed all the water smells and had a great time.

Here I am sniffing the salt air. Ahhhhh

The lighthouse was closed to visitors. There were a few fishermen out there in the water. One even caught a pretty good sized fish.

The lighthouse was all closed up by the time we got there.

Well, after a nice walk we turned around to leave. Up on the lighthouse were two crows making loud noises. One of them said, "Look at that dumb dog down there. She doesn't know when to stay home by the warm fireplace." Caw, caw, caw they went. I decided to bay at them. I guess they couldn't hear me though because they just stayed up there cawing at me.

Here are the crows. I really wanted to chase them but they ignored me!

I was hungry for dinner by the time we got back. Remi and Indy were might glad to see us because they were hungry too.

I've been keeping some weird hours lately. Yes, Remi and Indy bug me but I've also been studying up on my Twilight lore. You see, I'm headed for the Olympic Peninsula soon. I'm going to visit the rain forest, check out Forks (inspiration for the Twilight stories) and try my best not to get scared!

Some of you will know what Shapeshifters are. Some of you know about the Native Americans who live in the rain forest and who can take on wolf form under stressful circumstances. I read about that in the Twilight Saga. I am hoping to do some hiking in the forest and DON'T WANT TO RUN INTO ANY WOLVES!

Sometimes I think we have Shapeshifters in our woods here. That's why I go bonkers in the middle of the night. I think I hear them. I imagine that I can see their piercing eyes looking at me from the dark woods. I've been training in the pasture, building up my strength. But the truth is, these wolves are bigger than me and MUCH STRONGER. And they have a pack. All I have are Indy and Remi.

So I have my reservations about heading out to the Olympic Peninsula. Maybe these things happen only at night. I'll have to ask when I get to Forks, Washington! Meanwhile I'm packing... and worrying.